It is necessary to remove particulates and impurities from fluids for many devices such as from fuel or air supplied to an engine or hydraulic fluid that is used in a transmission of a vehicle. Accordingly, the many devices will typically include a filter apparatus for removing particulate matter from the fluid before it is supplied to the downstream device or to clean the fluid for recirculation and reuse in the system.
Such filters typically include a filter element for trapping the particulate matter in a media. The element is configured so that it can be removed and replaced periodically as it becomes plugged with particulate matter. In order to allow for removal and replacement of the element, it is often mounted inside of a filter housing, which is in turn attached to a filter head having an inlet and an outlet port adapted for attachment of fluid lines directing fluid in to and away from the filter system.
The present invention relates to improvements in filter elements and the manufacture of filter elements.